Indian star Test opener Mayank Agarwal has recalled his confidence booster talk with skipper Virat Kohli that motivated him to go for a three-digit score at home against South Africa last year.

Since making his debut in whites for the Indian cricket team in 2018, the Karnataka-born batsman has enjoyed sensational time with the willow, hitting three scores beyond the triple-figure and an equal number of the fifties to cement his place in the national Test squad.

Well, Agarwal’s hunger for runs made him a vital cog in the Indian Test line-up and he is once again set to grab the headlines in the upcoming two-match Test series in New Zealand starting February 21 after hitting back-to-back double Test centuries against South Africa and Bangladesh last year.

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Ahead of the Wellington Test against the Black Caps, Agarwal has recalled the major highlight from his knock of 215 against South Africa at Vizag and that was Kohli’s gesture towards him when he had reached the special 150-mark milestone.

Recalling about the same, the 28-year-old said Kohli motivated him to go for a monstrous score to become the second-fastest to score two double-centuries beating Sir Donald Bradman’s record.

Mayank told ESPN Cricinfo, “Against South Africa when I got a 150, Virat [Kohli] was there at the other end and he said “Nothing short of a 200 will do. You’re batting well, make sure to not just score for yourself but for your team. The team needs to get a bigger score and it’s important for you to be there to help us get that score at a faster pace.”

He signed off by saying, “Nothing short of 200 is gonna do, he said. So when I got to 150, it was a reminder from his side that we have spoken about these things. Now you’ve got to go out there and execute because you’re batting well, you’re in the middle, the team’s in a good position and the team requires you to take us through to more.”

(With ESPN Cricinfo Inputs)